Why “Longlegs” is the most viral horror film of the year

The release of Longlegs, the fourth film directed by Osgood Perkins, has captured the attention of the entire web because it was introduced in the best possible way for a thriller-horror: through word of mouth. The first thing everyone heard about the film is that it's terrifying, that Nicolas Cage is unrecognizable and creepy, and that even the lead actress was scared upon seeing him for the first time on set. Indeed, after watching it, it's truly incredible how the disturbing character of the satanic serial killer manages to dominate the entire storyline with very limited screen time, in a way not entirely dissimilar to how Hannibal Lecter did in The Silence of the Lambs, a film to which Longlegs owes a heavy debt. The plot, as many already know, retraces the hunt for a serial killer in the 1990s by an FBI agent played by Maika Monroe, who, much like Will Graham in Red Dragon, has an almost paranormal "intuition" for finding criminals, making her seemingly more capable than others of solving the highly complex case of a serial killer who can massacre entire families. But the story takes deeply unsettling turns when the woman realizes she has a personal connection to the killer. Now, the perception of the film changes depending on the generation to which one belongs: for Gen Z viewers, the film might be described as a mix of Mindhunter and Hereditary, with that religious horror twist typical of much indie horror these days; while more seasoned Millennial viewers will clearly feel the influence of Seven and The Silence of the Lambs, from which the story borrows many key elements as well as the American Midwestern vibe, featuring snowy suburbs, wood-paneled offices, and essentially that blue-collar world that hides a darkness beneath the surface that is impossible to describe.

It should be clarified right away that the film is not actually the scariest and most terrifying of the year: when a horror film is described as "the scariest," it rarely is. This does not mean it isn't valid, and there's no doubt about that, but it's best to avoid watching with unrealistic expectations. Remember that, in the horror world, the scariest films are often seen only once if they achieve the desired effect. Anyone who doesn’t believe it should watch The Poughkeepsie Tapes or Megan is Missing to understand how absolute terror often translates into unpleasant viewing experiences for one reason or another. Overall, the entire film is permeated by a sense of deep anguish, which runs through the structure of a plot organized like a mouse trap where the more the protagonist seems to venture into an unknown world, the more she finds herself in familiar territory. Interesting is the way the serial killer character is presented: rather than a malevolent genius, Longlegs scares for the inconsistent way he speaks and even more for his habit of uttering cryptic phrases in a kind of incoherent chant that at times, accompanied by strange hand and face movements, really seems to transform into a song. Cage's character, in short, is the embodiment of that sense of disturbing mystery that is at the heart of a film whose themes, however, are much more personal. When it reaches the ending, which aligns well with horror conventions, one realizes that the story of the film heavily involves the idea of generational trauma, with a certain "satanic panic" flavor very vintage and revived by films like The Conjuring. Longlegs is, briefly but unexpectedly, a film about families and the (often horrible) things that hold them together.

If the screenplay, while effective, doesn't sound entirely original due to its referential and ultimately very postmodern nature and especially does not take the viewer to new dimensions of horror as films by Brandon Cronenberg or Robert Eggers have done in recent years, the technical department shines in Perkins’ film. Changes in film ratio, the cold autumn-winter color palette echoing the general darkness of the story, the sound design, and photographic tricks that hide demons and eerie eyes in the dark corners of almost every scene, and overall a very assured direction. A possible flaw, however, can be noted in the heavy make-up worn by Nicolas Cage for two reasons: first, his appearance is never really explained or motivated throughout the film, although we know that the initial script illustrated its origins in some detail; secondly, the make-up, in its attempt to appear deliberately grotesque, ends up breaking the suspension of disbelief of the viewer – while remaining entirely effective. As for the performances, however, the level is very high: certainly, with this film, Maika Monroe adds a brilliant gem to her crown as the queen of contemporary indie horror (among her performances are It Follows and its sequel, Villains, Watcher, Tau, and Significant Other), while Cage is at the peak of his horror renaissance that began with Mom and Dad in 2017 and then continued with films like Mandy, Color Out of Space, Willy’s Wonderland, and Arcadian – all roles whose almost grotesque theatricality culminates in this character of a completely psychotic serial killer.